Dare
by Dagron
Summary: It was one of those parties Elsa had heard of, but never dared go along to. Not that she had had the opportunity to be invited to one before now. What had she been thinking? But she hadn't been; that was the problem. She'd just gone with the flow. And there had been a lot of flowing. And now it was Merida's turn to draw a card.


_Not quite sure what I think of this one. Eh, posting it anyways. :)_

 **Dare**

It was one of those parties Elsa had heard of, but never dared go along to. Not that she had had the opportunity to be invited to one before now. Growing up with as few friends as she had, she tended to fall outside the boundaries of most people's guest lists.

Originally, it had only been an invitation for "a cuppa." Elsa had been staying in Scotland on business, her host Merida making a point of making her feel comfortable and at home between her own busy schedule and commitments. The fiery young woman certainly didn't seem one to like being inactive, fidgeting restlessly in the tea bar as Elsa enjoyed her brew. Merida's hadn't even had the time to cool. The redhead's restlessness reminded Elsa a little of her sister, only Anna had learnt to enjoy the slower things in life without needing to ping sugar cubes round and round her empty cup. It was quite mesmerizing actually. The woman was extremely skilled with her hands. Despite that, Merida did seem to be having a good time. She was asking questions about tea, about pastries, trying to relate it all to what her mother had taught her and the kind of treats her brothers liked. She would point at the decorations on the mismatched cups, wondering how they managed to inlay the gold in such intricate patterns. This got her talking about her carving hobby, the patterns of knots and animals she liked to decorate boughs of wood with. Elsa was fascinated.

So when they left the tea bar and bumped into one of Merida's friends who invited them over to his place for a party, Elsa couldn't refuse upon seeing Merida's enthusiasm.

What had she been thinking?

But she hadn't been; that was the problem. She'd just gone with the flow.

And there had been a lot of flowing.

She'd lost count. How many had she had? Clearly too many if the swaying of the room was anything to go by. Still, she wasn't worried. There was a happy thrumming through her veins, a buzz in her head that let her relax rather than become wound up about the number of strangers in the room or the fact that she couldn't understand half of the slang they were throwing around.

She giggled when Merida came back to sit next to her, squarely missing her seat on her first try. Apparently the redhead had had a tipple too many as well. Tangles of orangey red curls covered the Scottish woman's eyes as she struggled to readjust herself into a position approximating the level of comfort required. Elsa would help, but she didn't think she could get up currently without falling down.

No matter, they were mid game, and there'd been a short break while Merida had used the facilities. It was her turn to draw a card.

Even drunk as she was, Merida's hand seemed as dextrous as ever. She picked her card from the pile, no hesitation or patting around. A quick flick of the fingers and the card was turned around for all to see.

"Awh, shite." Oh swearing... Elsa's eyebrows rose up to her forehead. She'd never heard Merida mutter an oath without it being censored, let alone a swearword.

The platinum blond leaned forward on her cushion, trying to get a better view of the card in question. It was hard to make out at first, the images on the card being unhelpful nudes that she just couldn't see the appeal of but... Ah, there, she could make it out now. The letter Q and a red heart: what had they decided that card meant again?

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" The room chanted. Oh. Oh yes, that was what it was. Elsa frowned, seeing the displeasure on Merida's face.

"Can ah nae pick anuther ain?" The pout on her face was impressive. "Ah mean seriously, ye guys, tha's like literally the only dare in this deck ah dinnae care much fur."

"Nae swapping! Them's the rulez..." The black haired man slurred a little as he leaned forward; pointing at the card Merida had turned over. The blonde boy with the impressive cowlick next to him hiccupped with what looked like approval. The giant man next to them seemed to go on at length, but his accent was so incomprehensible the whole room just blinked at him until the black haired boy pointed and said, "see, even MacGuffin 'ere agrees wit'me. Now ye got tae pick someone tae kiss."

"Ye louts suck. Ya can be sure ah wilnae pick any o' ye three!"

"Whit? Comoan noo. We already agreed Elsa was sitting this game oot."

"Weel nae fur this bit, sorry about this Els'."

Wait, what? When did...

It took Elsa's brain what felt like an age to catch up with where the conversation had gone, and now she was staring into Merida's eyes, with the room filling with the ouhs of the boys.  
"Er... What?" She managed to croak out, her anxiety suddenly peaking at what must have been an all time record of speed.

"Nun' o'that pansy pretend kissing either!" Black-haired boy was hollering again. Elsa wanted to slap him.

"Urgh, feck off, McIntosh!" The growl in Merida's voice indicated that the feeling was shared; however it did not seem to reduce the proximity between the two, quite the opposite.

Elsa found herself letting out a swear of her own in Norwegian, leaning back and away from the woman now encroaching into her personal space. She let out an extra curse when the redhead grabbed the front of her shirt, preventing her from moving away further. There appeared to be some conflict in Merida's eyes as she muttered something that Elsa couldn't quite catch. Her other hand was now reaching for Elsa's jaw as she leaned in.

Oh sugar-dung, this was really happening. Elsa's hands reached up to push Merida away. It was clear that Merida was leaving her the option to do so, her hold on Elsa's top relaxing, her balance loose and swaying a little. Elsa had even started doing so when their lips touched, ever so briefly. The jolt of surprise from the contact caused Elsa's hands to seize away from Merida, causing the redhead to lean in fully, much to both of their surprise.

Lips crashed together, forcing Elsa to taste the cider on Merida's breath, to feel the strangely enticing softness of her lips, to smell the faint whiff of autumn leaves coming off the girl's hair. It didn't last long, Merida losing her balance completely as the two crumpled to the floor. There was cheering from the boys as Merida bit her lip with it landing on Elsa's chin, Elsa cracking her head on the side of the cabinet behind her.

"Ow." Merida said simply, before helping Elsa by pushing herself up off of her and pulling her upright. "You alright?"

Rubbing at the back of her head, Elsa checked for a bump or bruise. It was smarting a little, but she didn't think it was anything serious. Still, that didn't mean that the rest of her felt okay.

"I think it time we... we..." Oh, what was that word now? Elsa fumbled, settling for the word in her mother tongue. "Heim. We should heim."

Thankfully, Merida seemed to get the idea alright.

"Right, lads, we're gonnae hae tae call it a night thar." Her tone was decisive as she stumbled up to her feet. "Whit time is it anywha? Oh crivens..."

The protestations of the boys soon faded into nothingness as Elsa found that she'd been guided outside, blind to the world around her as she fought the pounding of her heart, the pounding in her head.

It wasn't her first time being drunk, despite what some people might have expected. She'd had a good long night taking swigs from her father's aquavit stash one night, shortly after his death. The hangover from that had been lethal, and she'd made sure to avoid repeating that mistake by drinking more water and staying on stuff that was a lot less potent. Still, she hadn't accounted for drinking games. It had taken her a few rounds before she realised how dangerous it was getting, at which point she had promptly opted herself out.

Which was why she was so befuddled that Merida had turned on her, rather than play out the stupid dare with one of her other friends... There hadn't seemed to be anything to faze her up until that point.

She glanced down at her host, the Scotswoman holding up Elsa's arm around her shoulders.

Elsa was surprised at the fury that seemed to be souring the girl's features. They'd had a good day, or so she thought. The cuppa in the afternoon had been delightful, and though awkward and unexpected at times, Elsa had found herself enjoying the novelty of being invited alongside Merida to her friend's do.

"Du... You okay?" Elsa asked, hoping to pull Merida out of whatever dark rumination she was deep in.

A dark, stormy gaze locked itself with hers, sending shivers down Elsa's spine.

"Ah should be the ain asking ye that. Is no right whit ah done earlier. Ah shouldnae o' kissed ye without yer permission, dare or no." Her hand flew expressively up in the air before her, trying to describe with the shapes her fingers were drawing in the air the frustration she seemed to feel inside. "Argh. Ah wish ah could stop doin' things withoot thinkin'. Mah pride got in the way o'things again. Ah should hae juist refused tae do it. Ah... Ah wasnae thinkin', an'..."

Merida stopped walking, forcing Elsa to a stop as well. Elsa felt the redhead's hands grabbing her shoulders as she turned to face the blonde.

"I'm sorry, Elsa. Truly..." Her eyes were cast low, her hands clasping in and out of fist shapes."Ah... I... I juist didnae..."

The rest of Merida's words were lost in a mutter, forcing Elsa to ask her to repeat herself.  
"You did not what?"

It was hard to tell for sure in the weak streetlight, but Elsa was fairly certain Merida was blushing as red as her curls.

"Ah didnae wunt ain o'em boys sharing mah first kiss... Even a pretend uin lik' that." The words came out fast, hurried. Clearly wanting out of the situation, she began to stride ahead with wide steps. Elsa had to run to catch up, processing the confession as she moved. Was... was that it?

As glad for the apology as she was, there was a part of Elsa that felt disappointed. It was hard to put a finger on why. There was this sensation coiling in Elsa's chest, like a storm of feelings she'd been bottling up all day, maybe longer. It was frustrating. It made her fingers itch and her face tingle as she frowned.

Merida was still refusing to look at her, her head bent in shame as she fished for her building key in her pocket.

Oh to hell with it, Elsa thought. Grabbing hold of the shorter woman's shoulders, she turned her around.

"Elsa, whi-?"

This time, when their lips met, both their weights were being supported by the door behind Merida. A startled noise came from Merida's mouth, though when her hand reached up to grab a hold of Elsa's arm it wasn't to push her away. Elsa hummed as her fingers found the back of Merida's scalp, tangling themselves in the long stream of curls hanging from her head. The scent of cider and autumn was still there, now mixed with another faint scent that Elsa couldn't quite name. Whatever it was, it was intoxicating. It was nearly as intoxicating as the feeling of Merida's lips moving against her mouth, hesitantly parting to allow a wet moistness to stroke Elsa's lips. She shuddered as she pulled away, resting her forehead against Merida's, seeing the wide eyes and definitely flushed cheeks filling her world.

"Ah... Wow. Whit... What was tha' fur?"

Elsa smiled.  
"Now we're even. And there's nothing pretend about this first kiss."

The coiled sensation in Elsa's chest was gone, replaced with something close to elation. Hope bloomed, filling her veins with warmth she'd never known. Maybe this was as far as this would go, but... Elsa was glad that she'd let go of her reservations and tried.

Seemingly, Merida was thinking along the same lines. Strong hands that had been hesitantly holding onto Elsa's forearms were now enlacing Elsa's neck, pulling her face back down within Merida's reach as she initiated another kiss.

And this time it was bliss.

 _Fin._


End file.
